The 2018 Grammy Awards: Biggest Snubs + Surprises

The 2018 Grammy Awards nominations are officially in, and while some categories have played out exactly as forecasted (Kendrick Lamar is likely to wind up a big winner) — others, particularly where pop is concerned, have delivered some huge snubs and surprises.

Between Ed Sheeran, a seeming shoo-in for top honors who was shut out of major categories, and Harry Styles, who was shut out of nominations completely, the Grammys noms certainly didn't play it safe this year, and paved the way for some truly unexpected matchups.

Ed Sheeran Gets Shut Out in Top Categories: Sure, Sheeran could wind up with a pair of wins in pop categories, but that he didn't land a single showing in a top category for Divide, the second best-selling album of the year, is a bit of a shock, particularly since nearly every site predicted he and Kendrick Lamar would square off for Album of the Year honors.

Kelly Clarkson and P!nk Land Pop Noms: P!nk and Kelly have enjoyed Grammys success in the past, and voters love to rely on them to fill out pop categories, but that "What About Us" and "Love So Soft" earned nominations over work by Demi Lovato or Miley Cyrus was a pleasant surprise when neither artist's new album will be eligible for additional awards until next year (by the same metric, Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" was shut out).

Harry Styles Left in the Dust: The One Direction member earned raves for his eponymous debut solo album, and entertainment sites far and wide said he might even be an outside contender for Album of the Year, but Styles didn't manage a single nom for the album that spawned "Kiwi" and "Sign of the Times."

Childish Gambino Hits it Big: Let's put it simply — virtually nobody saw Childish Gambino's strong showing coming, particularly when his five nominations eclipsed the likes of Ed Sheeran, who was predicted to hit it big, in the most coveted categories.

Demi Lovato's Critical Hit Falls Flat With Voters: "Sorry Not Sorry" is a huge hit, Tell Me You Love Me is the best-reviewed work of Demi's career (even Pitchforkcalled it "thrilling") and the singer's live sets — particularly on televised award shows — have been stunning. Somehow, though, Demi was totally shut out.

Miley Cyrus's Younger Now Doesn't Age Well: No, Younger Now did not amount to the commercial success Miley typically enjoys, but considering the warm reception "Malibu" met and the fact that Bangerz got some serious Grammy love, we expected at least a small showing in a pop category. Just didn't happen...

Jay Z Stands the Test of Time: Sure, 4:44 was going to earn nominations no matter what, but that Jay ultimately proved to be the most-nominated artist of the year was a bit of a come-from-behind achievement for the 48-year-old rapper, particularly since the work isn't even available on Spotify.

Miranda Lambert's Wings Get Clipped: The country standout and previous Grammy favorite was the genre's lone hope to represent in the Album of the Year category. Not only was she absent from the list, but her album — one of the year's best — wasn't even nominated in the Best Country Album category. Only her "Tin Man" has managed to pick up a few noms.

Women Mostly Shut Out of Big Categories: No women were nominated for Record of the Year, Lorde is the lone representative where Album of the Year is concerned and Julia Michaels is the only woman with her own song in the Song of the Year category (Alessia Cara is also eligible, though, as a feature in Logic's "1-800-273-8255").